Training Future Emergency Response Leaders With Justice Institute Of British Columbia Partnership

With the launch of the Minor in Paramedicine and Emergency Response in July 2015, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) became the first educational institution in Singapore to establish a paramedic training programme at the degree level. In August 2017, uniformed Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with Paramedicine and Emergency Response (BSBEP) students sponsored by the Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Civil Defence Force began their six-week course in Operational Leadership in Paramedicine at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).

On their final week from 11 to 15 September 2017, they were joined by non-uniformed peers from the Leadership in Paramedicine course, who attended classes at the JIBC campus and took the opportunity to visit British Columbia’s Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and the Mobile Medical Unit. As part of the curriculum requirement, the students underwent Mass Casualty Incident simulation exercises to practise triage and were assessed on their response readiness. The trip culminated with a panel discussion on Leadership in Paramedicine: Challenges for the Future, with invited panel members Mr Joe Acker, BCEHS Director of Patient Care Delivery, Vancouver Coastal; Ms Kathy Harms, Programme Director of Health Services Division, JIBC; and Ms Penny Price, Regional Paramedic Programmes’ Director, Eastern Ontario.

_{Big smiles from our BSBEP student participants, JIBC staff and guest speakers on the final day of the study trip.}